Cosplay, Cruises & Pumpkin Spice

All my days have been blending together into one big, long, endless cycle. Mostly the day-in and day-out of get up, get dressed, coffee,

kid's summer homework, kids chores, pack a lunch, go to work, feel unproductive for close to eight hours, and go home. That is my general schedule from when I wake up at 5:30 until home time at 4:30, Monday through Thursday (Sunday is similar, except I get to go home from work after only 6 hours of feeling like I'm throwing my life in the compactor).

After work, the daily routine is a bit different, depending on the day. Regardless, it is still full of hurry-up and rush, no matter what day it is. Monday is the only really laid-back night. As soon as I get home, I start making dinner so that it's ready between 5 and 5:30. Kids take FOREVER to eat (OMG it's painful some nights), and we try to cut them off at 7, so they can get ready for bed (which takes about an hour, particularly if I'm not harping on my son to stop getting distracted by every little thing).

And honestly, I should go to bed between 8:30 and 9, because I have kind of high sleep requirements. This sucks. So, I usually end up staying up later, procrastinating. If I am taking care of myself (vitamins, full skin routine, hygiene) it takes me about 45 minutes to get ready for bed. Often I am too tired, or too distracted, to do this. It is what it is.

Throw in the mix that Tuesdays my daughter has tutoring from 6 to 8 (bedtime out the window at least for her, and sometimes my son insists on staying up as long as she "gets to"), Wednesday is my son's beginner parkour class (Little Ninjas) from 5 to 6, and Thursdays are swim lesson days (5 to 6:30 when you factor in changing and that their classes are back-to-back). Sunday's spare time in the late afternoon is usually eaten up by grocery shopping.

Oh, and my husband and I usually end up trying to fit an at-home date night in there, somewhere... Often Wednesday...

We'll, what are my weekends like then? They, too, are pretty much booked up, although it being summer makes them more so, since I feel an incessant need to spend as much social/leisure time with my children as I can right now, before they become teenagers and pretend they don't know me anymore.

Once a month, we get together with our "Tribe" or "Chosen Family"; the people we aren't actually related to by blood, but whom mean the world to us, and whom often treat us/are treated by us better than actual blood relations. Tribe Dinner is held at a different person's place once a month, so we don't lose sight of these important people. It's nice to get all the "cousin's" together too, as they make their own tribes.

There are birthday parties, get-togethers with our actual families, cottage weekends (which are relaxing in and of themselves, but cause a bit of stress when planning and packing).

This week was particularly stressful and (for the kids especially) disappointing, as they were supposed to join up with some of the Tribe mothers and cousin's for a DIY summer camp, but half the clan came down with Covid. This has also required for us to postpone our annual MidSummers party, which is our biggest party of the year and had been originally scheduled for tomorrow.

Stupid Covid.

So, that's been moved to August.

Finally, there comes the last peppering of craziness in my scheduling, which is to find time for modeling, cosplay, and acting. With the kids out of school, I've basically relegated those to the back-burner. It's just too, too much.

Luckily for me, there is a bit of a reprieve for me.

Next week, the kids are in bike-camp, which, while it makes things a tiny bit more hectic in the mornings and evenings with having to get them ready a bit earlier and having to pick them up from the camp after work, also means I get a Friday to myself!

However, it won't be all fun and games, because the next day we are leaving on our annual summer vacation to Manitoulin Island.

Which will, fingers crossed, be the deserving break that I need.

Might just be because I switched to a new phone, and maybe the app saves drafts to the device and not to the server... I'm a bit upset about that though, since I wanted to keep working on my big post (I was writing a longer post about cruises, since I love them). But, I guess this is all you guys get today.

I remember growing up, I had this book. It was my brother's book, actually, and it was about the universe. He had recieved it as a Christmas present a few years after I was born, I think, or around then anyways. (He's ten years older than me.)

I loved that book.

I don't know if he ever liked it as much as I did, but I read and re-read that book so many times. Space was one of my FAVOURITE things (as were dinosaurs!), and I was fascinated with all the planets, their characteristics, stars, nebulae, galaxies, possibilities of life on other planets, and everything else that had to do with it.

I used that book for research projects, writing assignments, and my own stories I wrote in my spare time, well into my mid teenage years.

I wonder what happened to that book? Becoming a teenager changes all the priorities around in your brain so much. I still loved space, and gazing up at the stars while lying in the grass at Hog's Back Park, but obsessing over facts and information was in my past.

I think a lot of it is still in there though, rattling around for use during a good game of trivia.

Seeing this though... this magnificent photo of a swath of the sky no bigger than a grain if sand held at arms distance from someone's face, just leaves me in awe.

I look at this and wonder, how can any logically minded person believe we're alone in the universe? How many undiscovered worlds can we not even see?

It's beautiful, and awe-inspiring, and humbling, all at the same time.

So, let's try this again, shall we?

Who am l?

My name is Krystal Kamieniecki; I also go by Kitty. And I am so many things.

As you continue to read this blog and follow me on my adventure, (which I really hope you do!) my wish is that you get to know who I am and all the facets that make me "me".

But, to par it down,

I am:

a mom

a model

a cosplayer

a traveller

a techie

a geek

a foodie

a FIRE enthusiest (Financial Independence; Retire Early, but I also love building fires when I'm at a cottage or camping!)

a nature lover

a compassionate friend

a devoted wife

and a creator...

Just to skim the surface.

And what is this Blog about?

Well, I'm kind of still working on that part. I'd like it to be about my adventures traveling the world, while modeling and cosplaying on a budget, and sharing the best and worst of the places I visit (especially the food!) with all my followers. But, I'm not financially at that part in my story yet, and I also have to balance my life with a full time job at a retail warehouse and being the mother of a very spirited young daughter and an unstopably exuberant young son.

So, I hope you'll choose to stick around and read about me, my personal story, and my adventures in this crazy journey called life. I plan to write daily, but we all know how those sorts of plans play out better in our heads than on paper.